suicide

A Cornell Campus Walk to Prevent Suicide

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Under sunny Spring skies, 200 students, staff, and faculty raised more than $12,600 on April 13 in the third annual Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention on the Cornell University campus.

Cornell Dance Team in the Out of the Darkness Walk

Dispatched by the Big Red Marching Band, participants including the Cornell Dance Team, squash and fencing athletes, and the superhero known as the Cornell Batman trekked a two-mile route from Barton Hall along Garden Avenue, to Tower Road, and then Campus Road back to the starting point.

“You are making a difference,” said walk organizer Cheyanne Scholl, welcoming the participants inside Barton Hall. “You decided today that mental health and suicide prevention is an important issue and needs to be talked about. I applaud and appreciate every single one of you for being here and standing up in the fight against suicide and raising awareness for mental health issues.”

Walking on Garden Avenue

Audrey McDougal, a licensed social worker with Cornell’s NY FarmNet, related that she has seen firsthand how mental health challenges and emotional pain can isolate people at a time when they are in greatest need of connection. She said she loves the “Strength in Numbers” motto of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“The Warriors use this motto to indicate their selflessness, the power in everyone having a role. It speaks to collective effort, of what we can accomplish when we are not alone. At the Out of Darkness walks, I see countless people who are willing to bear witness to pain together. I see people talking about the hard things, accepting others without judgment, and overcoming the fear that can arise with offering—and accepting—help. I see strength in numbers,” McDougal said.

Audrey McDougal of Cornell’s NY FarmNet

Closing out the program, John Grealish, a fourth-year student in the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, performed “Rainbows Over Coeur d’Alene” in memory of a friend and fellow Cornell vet student, Yiannis Stathopoulos, who died by suicide in 2022.

Grealish’s original song was inspired by his experience at a veterinary leadership retreat in Idaho, which Stathopoulos had attended a year earlier shortly before his death. During a boat ride in the rain on Lake Coeur d’Alene, the participants sang “Lean on Me” in Stathopoulos’s memory. Grealish recalled that when they stepped ashore, a rainbow suddenly appeared overhead.

“Anyone who knew Yiannis would know that this is a person who was a source of brightness and friendship to everyone. He was accepting of everyone. He was a natural born leader,” Grealish said.

John Grealish performs “Rainbows Over Coeur d’Alene”

About 600 Out of the Darkness walks are held across the United States each year by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to raise awareness, collect research funds, give hope and show solidarity to those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and to suicide loss survivors, and send a message that “suicide is preventable and no one is alone.”

In 2023, 173 college campus walks with 26,000 participants raised $1.6 million. So far, the three Cornell walks from 2023 to 2025 have collected more than $44,000 in donations.

Among the participants in the 2025 Cornell Walk were 13 fundraising teams, with the Cornell HR Community Walk Team bringing in the most funds, $1,765. Other top teams included the Cornell Out of the Darkness Planning Committee, Cornell Athletics, and Team Hope. Leon and Jules Ginenthal were the top two individual fundraisers, with $735 and $663, respectively.

Participants were provided with “honor beads,” necklaces in vibrant colors signifying their connection to the suicide prevention cause—white for the loss of a child, red for the loss of a spouse or partner, gold for the loss of a parent, orange for the loss of a sibling, purple for the loss of a friend or relative, silver for the loss of a first responder or military member, green for personal attempt or struggle, teal for someone who struggles or has attempted suicide, blue for supporting the cause, and rainbow for the LGBTQ+ community.

A light to guide through the darkness

This year’s sponsors included: Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County; Cornell University NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Zach Clark State Farm; Be Kind Ithaca; Taste of Thai Express; and Big Red Barbershop.

Cornellians left messages on the “Why We Walk” wall:

To support the cause

For myself and my brother. You are not alone!

In memory of Nick Budney

For my best friend Holly

To give someone hope

For the friends I almost lost. There is hope beyond the darkness.

To show up for those who could not. Even for themselves.

To remind myself that I am not alone

A light to guide through the darkness—Batman

CHAOS CREATES CHANGE!!

Your life is more precious than money, grades, human determinations of success. There is only one you and you are irreplaceable.

The things that make you are beautiful

You deserve to be here

Talk about it! PLEASE!

For Jack. I miss you!

You are loved!

Ask for help

Why We Walk

How are you feeling right now?

Hope Walks Here

A beautiful day for a walk

Along Tower Road

Organizer Cheyanne Scholl addresses the walkers

Participants in Barton Hall

Honor Bead ceremony

Cornell Health

NAMI Finger Lakes

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County

Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

#StopSuicide

Cheyanne Scholl and the AFSP Team

Photo Credits: Basie Bagnini Nagel/AFSP and The Sophie Fund

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

At Cornell University on April 13, Join the Walk to Prevent Suicide

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Surveys show that poor mental health can hit college students hard. Many struggling students feel that they are alone. I am part of a dedicated group of mental health advocates at Cornell University proving that is not the case. We are working hard to raise awareness about suicide and fight the stigma that keeps many from getting help.

Photo credits: Cornell AFSP

On Sunday April 13, our Cornell volunteer committee of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host the third annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk at Cornell.

The 2023 and 2024 walks brought participation from hundreds of students, faculty, and staff and raised more than $40,000 for AFSP research and programming. Our ambitious goal this year is to collect $25,000 in donations.

More than 500 AFSP Out of the Darkness walks are held across the country each year. Besides raising funds, the walks send a message that “suicide is preventable, and no one is alone,” and help build a community around mental health. They show solidarity and bring hope for suicide attempt survivors or loss survivors.

Click here to register, create a fundraising team, or donate to the Walk

This year’s Cornell Walk begins in Barton Hall and follows an accessible two-mile route through the center of the beautiful Cornell campus. It is for people of all fitness levels and abilities. Participants may also walk/roll on Barton Hall’s indoor track.

Fundraising or donating are not requirements to take part in the Walk; everyone from the Cornell community and beyond is welcome.

Walk check-in begins at 11 a.m. in Barton Hall. The event starts 12 Noon with a brief kickoff ceremony; a mental health resource fair featuring local and campus health providers; yard games; a raffle with donated items from local and campus businesses; a memorial and positivity sticky note wall; snacks including cotton candy and popcorn; and a selfie station with Cornell’s own mascot, Touchdown the Big Red Bear.

Speakers include Audrey McDougal, a family consultant with NY FarmNet at Cornell, and Cornell students Disha Mudener and John Grealish.

Sponsors of this year’s Cornell Walk include: the Cornell Work/Life Team; Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Tompkins County; NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Zach Clark State Farm; Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; Sumo; and Taste of Thai Express.

For me, as for many other volunteers, Out of the Darkness walks are deeply personal. Just as I was starting college in 2017, I was introduced to AFSP in a traumatic period after my longtime friend Jack Noonan took his own life. The loss of Jack permanently changed who I am. I miss him every day and started my volunteer work in his memory.

Our organizing committee consists of more than 20 members: passionate undergraduates, graduate students, post-graduate students, staff members, faculty members, and local community members. Our goal is to let everyone know that, you matter, you are important, your mental health matters. We don’t want anyone to feel like they are the only ones struggling. So many of us are struggling and we can struggle together and support each other.

Another goal this year is to share mental and physical health resources as far and wide as possible. As mental health and minority groups are under attack right now, we want to spread a message of belonging. We want everyone to know that they are loved, they are wanted, and they matter.

If our countless hours of Walk organizing means just one person seeks and receives help, it is worth every second.

—By Cheyanne Scholl

Cheyanne Scholl is the founder of the Cornell University Out of the Darkness Walk and chair for the 2025 Walk. If you are interested in joining AFSP’s local efforts, please contact Cheyanne at cornellafsp@gmail.com.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

For AFSP support and/or other resources, please visit www.afsp.org/get-help and www.afsp.org/resources.

Free Training in Suicide Care: Sign Up Now!

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The Sophie Fund is sponsoring free registration—and free continuing education credits (CEUs)—for healthcare professionals in Tompkins County to attend a two-day online training in suicide prevention featuring some of the nation’s leading experts.

The training program, “Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice Incorporating Current Best Practices,” takes place in the afternoons of Wednesday March 19 and Thursday March 20. It is organized by The Wellness Institute, which says the conference designed “to strengthen confidence and competence in providing caring, evidence-based services to clients with suicide risk.”

The training, which covers treating youth suicidality, lethal means counseling, brief interventions, treatment pathways, and other topics, is also sponsored American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, the Education Development Center, Zero Suicide Institute, American Association of Suicidology, and CAMS-care. (See full program, below.)

Free registration and free continuing education credits for physicians, primary care clinicians, health and mental health clinicians, and clinical social workers serving Tompkins County is supported by a grant from The Sophie Fund.

To request a registration code for free registration, healthcare professionals can email The Sophie Fund at thesophiefund2016@gmail.com providing their 1) name, 2) email address, 3) degree level, and 4) place of employment (or name and address of practice, if self-employed).

Scott MacLeod, co-founder of The Sophie Fund, said his organization’s sponsorship of the Wellness Institute program for the fourth year in a row is intended to advance the Zero Suicide Model with healthcare providers. Thus far, The Sophie Fund has provided the free training for 180 clinicians in Tompkins County, including the counseling center staffs of Cornell University and Ithaca College.

Zero Suicide is an emerging standard designed to save lives by closing gaps in the suicide care offered by healthcare providers. The model provides a practical framework for system-wide quality improvement in areas including training staff in current best practices, identifying at-risk individuals through comprehensive screening and assessment, engaging at-risk patients with effective care management, evidence-based treatments, and safe care transition.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 10-14 and 25-34. Recently, Tompkins County has averaged 12 suicide deaths per year. Another 1,600 parents, children, siblings, friends, and spouses may be impacted by the resulting psychological, spiritual, and/or financial loss.

An estimated 300 people in Tompkins County may attempt suicide every year. While rates for other causes of death have remained steady or declined, the U.S. suicide rate increased 35.2% from 1999 to 2018.

Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice: Incorporating Current Best Practices

Wednesday, March 19, 1-5 p.m.

Understanding Suicide to Prevent Suicide: A Clinical Framework

E. David Klonsky, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

New-Generation Treatments (CRP, BCBT, etc.)

Craig Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, Trott Gebhardt Philips Endowed Professor and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University College of Medicine

Assessment, Safety Planning, and Treatment Pathways

Gillian Murphy, PhD, New York-based psychotherapist; former Assistant Deputy Director for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now 988)

Integrating Firearm Safety Discussions in Clinical Practice

Christopher Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Research Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Clients with Suicide Bereavement

Noam M. Schneck, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry), Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute

Thursday, March 20, 1-5 p.m.

The Human Element: Engaging Suicidal Clients

Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW, Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work

Creating Safe Spaces for Suicidality Disclosure

Lindsay Sheehan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of the Center on Health Equity, Education, and Research, Illinois Institute of Technology

Post-Crisis Reintegration

Marisa Marraccini, PhD, Tarbet Faculty Scholar in Education and an Associate Professor of School Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Education

Adapting Suicide Prevention for Telehealth

Lauren Khazem, PhD, Research Assistant Professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Addressing Substance Use in Suicide Prevention

Christina M. Sellers, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health Education and Research, School of Social Work, Simmons University

Sleep-Focused Approaches to Youth Suicide Prevention

Sally Weinstein, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Center on Depression and Resilience, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Ask the Experts: What Works in Suicide Care (Q&A Session)

David Jobes, PhD, ABPP, Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of Clinical Training, Catholic University of America; Creator and Developer, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)

David A. Brent, MD, academic chief of child and adolescent psychiatry, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Learning Objectives:

Describe a model for understanding suicide and list factors that contribute to increased suicide risk.

Discuss how clinicians can engage in suicide prevention in their clinical practice.

Describe the suicidal mode and identify the mechanisms targeted by newly developed treatments in suicide prevention.

Identify core principles that can guide the suicide assessment process and brief interventions to implement to maintain client safety.

Articulate the role of firearms in suicide and how to integrate firearm safety conversations into suicide prevention efforts.

Explain the unique emotions that typify suicide bereavement and an approach to facilitate emotional acceptance.

Identify suicide-focused care models that fit a clinician’s clinical approach best and ways they can utilize their emotional reactions while working with suicidal individuals.

Describe client perspectives on disclosure of suicidality and strategies to increase comfort in disclosure.

Explain considerations for supporting students returning to school following suicide-related crises and how best practices for student reintegration may be generalized for community reintegration of individuals in all life stages.

Identify telehealth adaptations of suicide prevention strategies and how they may be implemented. (Describe imminent suicide risk assessment and responses.)

Explain the relationship between substance use and suicide and how substance use is a risk factor for suicide.

Describe developmental changes in sleep in adolescence, how to assess sleep quality in youth, and intervention strategies to improve sleep in adolescents that may be relevant for suicide prevention.

Demonstrate how to ask a client if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts, incorporate one new practice for suicide prevention, and develop a practice plan to put in effect when a person states they have been thinking about suicide.

Worsening Trends in Teen Mental Health and Suicide

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Our teens continue to experience poor mental health, according to a new U.S. government report. Female and LGBTQ+ students are far more likely to experience feelings of sadness and hopelessness, poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, the report said.

4 in 10 students said they feel sad or hopeless

“The percentages of students who experienced poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors are still concerningly high,” said the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Data Summary & Trends Report 2013-2023” released in August by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report said that 10-year trends are improving for some areas of adolescent health and well-being, including sexual risk behaviors and substance use.

“Unfortunately, the data show that from 2013 to 2023, almost all other indicators of health and well-being worsened. Data highlight worsening trends in protective sexual behaviors, experiences of violence, persistent sadness or hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors,” the report said.

The CDC conducts the YRBS every two years among a nationally representative sample of public and private high school students. It provides the most recent surveillance data as well as 10-year trends and two-year changes in health behaviors and experiences. The survey tracks sexual behavior, substance use, violence, mental health, suicidal thoughts ad behaviors, social media use, and racism in schools.

According to the survey, 29 percent of respondents said they had poor mental health during the previous 30 days; and 4 in 10 said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year. Female teens were twice as likely as males—53 percent to 28 percent—to report those experiences; and nearly 2 in 3 students identifying as LGBTQ+ reported persistent sadness or hopelessness.

The survey results for suicidal behaviors were particularly concerning. Twenty percent of respondents said they seriously considered taking their own lives during the previous year; 16 percent reported making a suicide plan; and nearly 1 in 10 students said they had actually made a suicide attempt.

Looking for help? DOWNLOAD the 2024 Mental Health Support and Crisis Services guide for Tompkins County

There were some major disparities in sex, and sexual and gender identity. For example, 39 percent of female respondents reported poor mental health compared to 19 percent for males; 53 percent of teens identifying as LGBTQ+ reported poor mental health.

Female students were twice as likely to consider suicide than their male counterparts: 27 percent of females (and 41 percent of students identifying as LGBTQ+) said they considered making an attempt compared to 14 percent of males.

Similar wide disparities were seen in actual suicide attempts: 20 percent of LGBTQ+ students, 13 percent of female students, and 6 percent of male students reported trying to take their own lives.

The 2023 survey results showed a slight improvement, declining from 42 percent to 40 percent, over the previous two years in feelings of sadness and hopelessness. All other indicators remained static. However, the 10-year trends showed worsening teen mental health.

Forty percent of respondents reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness in 2023, compared to 30 percent in 2013. Percentages of those with suicidal thoughts and behaviors also increased, though relatively slightly.

The new YRBS survey showed a slight decline from the 2021 survey, from 14 percent to 13 percent, in female teens reporting being forced to have sexual intercourse. The figure still represented an increase over the 10 percent reporting forced sex in 2013.

In other areas, the 2023 survey showed a marked drop over 10 years, from 47 percent to 32 percent, in students reporting having ever had sex; and also a decline from 15 percent to 6 percent in those reporting four or more lifetime sexual partners. Twenty-one percent of students reported being currently sexually active. However, the CDC said there were also concerning decreases in condom use, STD testing, and HIV testing.

Downward trends were seen in alcohol and drug use. Twenty-two percent of respondents said they currently drink alcohol, compared to 35 percent in 2013; percentages of using marijuana and illicit drugs declined from 23 percent to 17 percent, and 16 percent to 10 percent, respectively.

Currently, according to the survey results, 22 percent of respondents drank alcohol in the previous 30 days; 17 percent used marijuana.

In new area of the survey, 77 percent of respondents reported using social media several times a day. Only about half of students said they felt close to people at their school.

Also, 32 percent of students reported experiencing racism in school; the figures were highest for Asian teens (57 percent), multiracial teens (49 percent), Black teens (46 percent), and Hispanic teens (39 percent).

Read about the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011-2021

According to CDC, poor mental health can result in serious negative outcomes for the health and development of adolescents, which can last into adulthood. Young people who feel hopeless about their future are more likely to engage in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV, STDs, and unintended pregnancy, it says. Suicide risk not only places the life of the adolescent at risk, but is also a marker for experience with trauma and other mental health issues, CDC notes.

The CDC report called attention to the role that schools play in the lives and development of young people.

“Partnering with and supporting schools has the potential to reach large numbers of young people with strategies that can make a positive impact. Schools can provide education, connections, and environments that lessen the impact of negative life events and promote health and well-being,” the report said.

The CDC developed an “action guide” to assist schools with strategies it says are proven to improve the sexual, behavioral, and mental health of students: “Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools: An Action Guide for School and District Leaders.”

The guide outlines six strategies include increasing students’ mental health literacy; promoting mindfulness; promoting social, emotional, and behavioral learning; enhancing connectedness; providing psychosocial skills training and cognitive behavioral interventions; and supporting staff well-being. The strategies are stronger when supported at multiple levels by parents, families, and communities, according to the CDC.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

Preventing Suicide, One Step at a Time

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More than 200 people raised over $35,000 in the 12th Annual Greater Ithaca Out of the Darkness Walk on September 7 organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Greater Central New York Chapter.

2024 Out of the Darkness Walk at Myers Park

The Greater Ithaca Walk, which took place in Myers Park in Lansing on Cayuga Lake during a persistent morning drizzle, is among 400 held across the country every year designed to raise awareness, support survivors of suicide loss, and collect funds for research, training, and educational programming.

This year’s Walk was held during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Walkers included many people who lost a family member, friend, or colleague to suicide.

L3 Lisa’s Lagomorph Legion was the top fundraising team again this year, collecting $5,743.53. Team Hope brought in $2,430; Team 22 $1,970; Boynton Middle School Rainbow Alliance & Friends $1,052; and 988 lifeline legends $1,035.

To add a donation to AFSP or become a volunteer, click here

“Leave a Light On”

“Suicide has impacted so many lives,” said Walk Chair Crystal Howser, kicking off the event. “When we come together, we are letting everyone know you are not alone, and we are here to support each other. United, we strive to be a source of strength for our community.”

AFSP’s Stacy Ayres, Karen Heisig, Crystal Howser, and Amber Parker

Jennifer Carlton-Cooper shared a powerful story to explain why she has participated in Greater Ithaca Walks since they began. Having struggled with suicide ideation herself, she lost her 22-year-old son Nick in 2021. Her daughter’s father Jeremy had died by suicide 11 months earlier.

“We must push for mental health to become a national priority and normalize sharing our feelings,” she said. “I ask each of you to assume you are the only one who will be there for your family and friends or others around you when they need a conversation to help save their life. Talk saves lives. Be a lifesaver.”

Carlton-Cooper said that over the many years she has struggled she learned how to recognize her own warning signs and created a safety plan for herself. “The one key tool in my plan is to phone a friend,” she explained. “Remember, if you struggle, as I do, have a plan. If you know someone who struggles, let them know you will always be their plan.”

In the Walk’s opening ceremony, Emily Georgia performed “Leave a Light On” by Papa Roach.

Amber Parker ended the ceremony with the reading of a poem, “I Heard Your Voice In The Wind Today,” by an unknown poet.

I heard your voice in the wind today

and I turned to see your face;

The warmth of the wind caressed me

as I stood silently in place.

I felt your touch in the sun today

as its warmth filled the sky;

I closed my eyes for your embrace

and my spirit soared high.

I saw your eyes in the window pane

as I watched the falling rain;

It seemed as each raindrop fell

it quietly said your name.

I held you close in my heart today

it made me feel complete;

You may have died…but you are not gone

you will always be a part of me.

As long as the sun shines…

the wind blows…

the rain falls…

You will live on inside of me forever

for that is all my heart knows.

The 2024 Greater Ithaca Walk was sponsored by:

CFCU Community Credit Union; The Strebel Planning Group’s Fund for Community Enrichment; Cayuga Lake Seido Karate; Maguire Automotive; Borgwarner; Pizza and Bones; Lansing Funeral Home; Texas Roadhouse; Cayuga Health System; Visions Federal Credit Union; Tioga State Bank Foundation; Cayuga Lake National Bank; Ithaca Apartment Management/Solomon Organization; Speak Up Cortland!; Lansing Fire Department; Ace Hardware; Wegmans; Cayuga Radio Group.